The High Price of Not Putting Out
©Heidi Bratton Photography
Dear Anthony,
I’ve had it with men! Once again, I have been rejected by a guy because I would not have sex with him, and made it clear (after his many attempts) that I’m not that kind of girl and it’s not going to happen until I’m married. It never fails. Things are going great and then the guy breaks up with me using any excuse, but I know it’s because I’m not “putting out”. And these are nice, Catholic guys. I am so crushed right now. I can’t help thinking I’m doomed to a life of loneliness because I won’t have sex until I’m married. But I DON’T want to be alone! Maybe I should just give in since even the great guys are expecting it. I’m so depressed. Why do Catholic guys expect sex from a Catholic girl? I just don’t understand.
It always deeply saddens me when a woman writes to me about this exact scenario. Unfortunately, I hear this very same thing all time, and have for years. So let me first say that I am sincerely sorry for what you are going through, and all women like you go through this kind of rejection (and God knows there are many).
I believe that there are many good, Catholic men out there who are authentically good men and would make good husbands and fathers, but because they have allowed themselves to adopt certain modern ideas and practices about approaching women, they are ultimately too toxic to be capable of marital love.
There is much about today’s society and its obsession with sex that bombards men involuntarily and affects men negatively without them realizing it. Have men really become so intoxicated with this culturally pro-sex lifestyle that they cannot see the value and beauty of a woman who is clearly a good catch for them? Are they really too sex-driven to be willing to endure a time of chastity in courtship with the woman he will spend the rest of his life loving in every way (including physically) within marriage?
Perhaps the answer is yes, they are too sexually intoxicated. And like a drunk who denies they have a problem with alcohol, a sexually intoxicated Catholic man will never admit that they have been influenced by this substance which affects his judgment when it comes to love and marriage. We cannot discount the power of intoxication on anyone, including genuinely good people; nor can we discount the power of the culture to intoxicate a person ever so subtly and without resistance.
I would like to believe that however powerful the culture is to intoxicate for the worst, the exposure to purity and beauty in a good woman is that much more powerful to wake a man up from his blindness and see just how wrong he is about how he treats a woman and approaches sex. No, scratch that. I DO believe that this kind of good woman is more powerful than the power the culture holds over a man.
So why are so many good women being rejected by men who should be thanking God for sending such a woman into his life? That I cannot answer. I could offer my opinion and some theories, but I don’t have a clear answer. Maybe the men aren’t as close to Christ and the Sacraments (sources of the only power to combat such evil) as they should be. Perhaps they are too far invested in the lifestyle of having sex or living together prior to marriage. Perhaps they really don’t want to be married. Who knows?
Too many good women are paying the high price of remaining faithful to their belief that sex is for after marriage. And too many of these women are in pain because they are made to feel like they are somehow idiots for taking that belief so seriously. And too many of these women are beating themselves up trying to figure out what else could be wrong with them that caused the man to break up with her, not willing to believe he was so shallow to do it just because she wouldn’t put out.
I can’t sugar coat this one, ladies. You do pay a high price, in that you don’t have someone to share your life with when you want that so very much. But you can’t ever forget (please, don’t ever forget) that you also paid a high price to Christ for standing your ground, and that price is deep union with the greatest love of your love, Jesus Himself, and the eternal happiness you will possess as a result.
I suggest you hold your head high and continue being the beautiful woman you are for yourself and for the sake of Christ. Don’t allow these men to take away who you are. Keep becoming more and more beautiful, and live as if it’s them who are missing out. You always have your union with your ultimate love, Jesus Christ. That is no pious sentiment. That is real and true. And it’s better than anything. Pray for these men. They need it.
But also stay open and hopeful. There are lots of single men out there who share your commitment to chastity, or who will respect and admire you.
